Ruling sets Nov. 8 ballot for Aaron Starr term-limit measure in Oxnard

Brian J. Varela, Ventura County Star
·4 min read
Aaron Starr, left, speaks to then-Oxnard City Clerk Michelle Ascencion in October 2019 when he submitted tens of thousands of signatures in support of five ballot initiatives, including an initiative for term limits for some elected officials. A judge recently ordered the city to place the term limit initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Aaron Starr, left, speaks to then-Oxnard City Clerk Michelle Ascencion in October 2019 when he submitted tens of thousands of signatures in support of five ballot initiatives, including an initiative for term limits for some elected officials. A judge recently ordered the city to place the term limit initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot.

A judge has ordered the city of Oxnard to place a voter initiative aimed at enacting stricter term limits on some elected officials on the Nov. 8 ballot.

In an opinion filed Tuesday, the state's 2nd District Court of Appeals clarified the remedy to an October ruling that first ordered a 2020 ballot measure introduced by Aaron Starr be on the ballot of a future election. Both parties requested a rehearing to clarify when the initiate would go before the voters.

Additionally, the measure will appear on the ballot as a citizen-sponsored initiative, as opposed to a city-sponsored measure, Starr said Thursday. He said he was concerned city officials would write the ballot argument in their favor in the voter guide had the initiative remained a city-sponsored measure.

“Now, only bona fide supporters will be writing the ballot arguments in favor of its adoption,” said Starr, a frequent critic of the city.

It was not clear who will write the ballot argument against the initiative.

Starr’s initiative, if passed by the voters, will supersede portions of Measure B, a separate term-limit measure placed on the March 2020 ballot by the Oxnard City Council and approved by the voters.

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When Voters go to the polls in November, they will decide whether to limit the mayor to two four-year terms and prevent an individual from serving two terms as mayor and then transitioning to the City Council or vice versa. Anyone who served as mayor, councilmember or a combination of both seats for two terms will have to wait two years before serving on the council again, according to the initiative.

The initiative would replace portions of Measure B that address term limits, Starr said. The measure, which was passed by the voters in March 2020 with 82% of the vote, extends the mayor’s term from two to four years, limits council members to three terms and establishes campaign finance reform, according to the city’s website.

City Manager Alexander Nguyen said Measure B’s term limits are better for the city than what Starr is proposing. It takes three terms for a councilmember to gain the experience needed to be the city’s mayor, he said. Starr’s initiative would sideline experienced councilmembers for two years, while someone less experienced runs for mayor.

“You get your experience, you figure out how things work, you figure out your policy direction and then you have to sit out,” Nguyen said. “That’s beyond silly.”

Starr, the lawsuit’s plaintiff, began collecting signatures in May 2019 for his term-limit initiative to be placed on the ballot. In October that same year, the City Council adopted a resolution that placed Measure B on the March 2020 municipal election ballot.

Two weeks later, Starr delivered a petition to the city signed by 12,245 Oxnard residents. The City Council adopted Starr’s measure as an ordinance in January 2020 instead of placing it on the March 2020 ballot.

State law allows the council to either adopt initiative petitions as an ordinance, without alteration, or the ordinance can go before a vote of the people, according to the opinion. However, state law requires an initiative that replaces an ordinance previously adopted by the voters, to also be adopted by the voters.

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According to the opinion, Oxnard residents voted for the mayor’s two-year term of office in a November 1973 election.

When the voters passed Measure B, it superseded Starr’s term limits. He argues the City Council knew his initiative petition was in the works and put their own term-limit measure on the ballot.

“Oxnard City Hall evidently believes voters will support stronger term limits, which is why the Oxnard City Council fought so hard to undermine it and keep our measure off the ballot."

Starr took his complaint to the Ventura County Superior Court, requesting the city put his initiative on the November 2020 ballot. The trial court denied the request, but the appellate court reversed the decision.

According to the opinion, Starr’s initiative should have been placed on the March 2020 ballot since it was aimed at replacing an ordinance adopted by the voters in 1973.

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ruling sets Nov. 8 ballot for term-limit measure in Oxnard